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Nov 23, 2020Magicworld rated this title 2.5 out of 5 stars
As a whole I feel underwhelmed by this collection, despite the fact it recently won the Scotiabank Giller prize. Each story is a glimpse into the everyday lives of people (mostly of Lao origin) who are trying to find their place in a country far away from their own, working menial jobs, struggling with the language and culture and often feeling lonely, isolated and underappreciated. On the whole, their immigrant experiences were pretty universal and while the topic is certainly important, I simply wanted more. The language is simple, unflinchingly direct but somehow the stories didn’t really get to me. I was also hoping to learn more about Lao culture, but apart of occasional snippets, this didn't really happen. There were several that I liked - mostly the ones about parents and children and a few that I really didn’t care about. The rest I think I will forget pretty quickly.